With the start of the new school year, football, is in full session and with that comes concerned parents hoping their children do not suffer an injury that could lead to a concussion.  More awareness is being brought forward in the news and in movies such as, Concussion, It is important to recognize the risks,  symptoms, and solutions to the problem.

Studies have recently emerged offering evidence suggesting a strong correlation between traumatic brain injuries and neuropsychiatric disorders.  For example, schizophrenia, depression, mania, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.1 These conditions typically will arise if the player sustains repetitive injuries and improper or no relief care is administered.  Concussions result in more than 100,000 emergency department visits in school-aged children in the United States.2 This number is expected to be higher as many parents, coaches and trainers sometimes do not catch the more subtle symptoms.

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Initially after the impact takes place the parent may notice any of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Feeling slowed down
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty remembering new information
• Feeling tired, no energy
• Sensitivity to noise or light
• Balance problems
• Dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headaches
• Fuzzy or blurry vision
• Anxiety
• More emotional
• Sadness
• Irritability
• Trouble falling asleep
• Sleep more or less than usual3

An athlete should be removed from the sport immediately to not exacerbate the symptoms.  There is currently no evidence that medication improves the recovery after a concussion, although some medications are prescribed for suppression of particular symptoms associated with the concussion.  Parents and trainers are now turning to alternative holistic forms of care offered at offices such as Dr. Geoff Besso’s.  He specializes in a natural approach by utilizing and advanced form of chiropractic care called upper cervical chiropractic.   This form of care focuses on correcting a misalignment in the upper neck which is affected in most people who suffer an accident, injury or fall.  Dr. Besso is helping young adults return to play and feel better in a shorter amount of time.

1. Kiraly M, Kiraly S. Traumatic Brain Injury and Delated Sequale: A Review-Traumatic Brain Injury and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (concussion) are precursorts to late-onset brain disorders, including early-onset dementia. The Scientific World Journal. Vol 7, Page 1768-1776. 13 Sept 2007. Web. Accessed on 1 Sept 2015. <https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2007/193268/abs/
2. Rose S, Weber K, Colleen J, Heyer G. The Diagnosis and Management of Concession In Children and adolescents. Pediatric Neurology. 10 April 2015. Web. Accessed on 1 Sept 2015. <https://www.pedneur.com/article/S0887-8994(15)00180-0/abstract>.
3. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 26 Feb 2015. Web. Accessed on 1 Sept 2015. <https://www.cdc.gov/concussion/signs_symptoms.html>.